The purpose of this study is to investigate how the school budgeting process factors into the financial stability of a district, that ultimately impacts academic achievement. Best practices as defined by methods that allow for greater transparency, cost effectiveness, and overall success in the passing of school budgets. School funding is an…

The New York State Board of Regents' 2004-05 State Aid Proposal put forward the idea of instituting Foundation Aid as a response to concerns about the sufficiency of state education funding then being provided to local school districts. In 2007, prompted by legal action, a call for reform by the Regents, and the election of a new governor with a…

The growth of homeschooling from a somewhat fringe movement during the 1970s and 1980s to a more widespread and socially accepted approach in recent decades has provided a strong foundation of flexible learning models. When Florida's school choice expansion, House Bill 1, was introduced in January 2023, one of its goals was to allow more…

California policymakers have established the expectation that all public school students should have access to a broad course of study, in classes where instruction is consistent with the state's content standards. Further, the state holds schools and school districts accountable for their ability to ensure that all students achieve at a specified…

The material presented in this pamphlet is a guide to the boards of education and the schools of New York State in setting up accounting procedures that conform to the regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education for the control of extraclassroom activity funds. These funds are defined in those regulations as "funds raised…

The purpose of this article is to present the rationale for identifying the indirect and direct costs which contribute to the overall bill for educating a handicapped child. (Author/AM)

A study discussed here identified factors related to the return on the investment of school district idle funds. Such funds represent balances that exist momentarily because of uneven patterns of revenue and expenditure. (JF)

America is home to a diverse set of institutions that range from the fabulously well endowed to those that are very poorly funded. Yet many of our poorer institutions provide educations that are just as good as--and in some cases even better than--their richer counter-parts. In this article, the author argues that wealthy institutions of higher…

In recent years, court mandates in education adequacy cases have resulted in substantial increases in state-level support for local building needs in a number of states. The Court of Appeals' decision in "CFE v. State of New York" has made clear that extensive facilities deficiencies in New York City constitute a major constitutional…

Describes how a New York State school district copes with increasing enrollments in spite of their tight budget. (JF)

New York State annually provides about $135 million of magnet school grants for 19 of its 700 school districts. The state's education department audited the 19 school districts receiving grants to determine whether implementation of grants had been adequately monitored and whether goals had been attained for such funding for the period July 1,…

Currently, state aid for education in New York State is distributed through over 50 separate and unnecessarily complex formulas and grants-in-aid. The approach recommended in this proposal consolidates 39 of these current categories into a single foundation allocation, while increasing the percentage of the state share and providing districts with…

Summarizes previous decisions in New York State courts on "Levittown v. Nyquist," a case challenging the constitutionality of the state's public school finance system. Discusses the recent New York Court of Appeals decision reversing earlier courts and holding that the finance system provides equal protection and is not unconstitutional.…

The present research addresses three critical aspects of the municipal overburden question. Geographical differences in costs of providing public services are reflected by an index of input prices. The essential nature of noneducation services is measured by need-related characteristics of the school districts. Finally, the link between these…

This booklet is intended to provide New York school district officials with a convenient yet comprehensive source of information on the investment of school funds. The booklet contains nine brief sections that focus in turn on school board investment policy, step-by-step investment guidelines, cash flow charts, types of investments, wire transfer…